The Flavours of Asia

Tag Archives: variety of asian groceries

Melbourne is a multi-cultural city with many students from Asian countries attending the excellent universities and other education institutes based in and around the city. These students often find themselves missing familiar foods, which they can’t find in ordinary supermarkets. So they are delighted when they hear about TANG the Asian Food Emporium at 185 Russell Street. When they first visit the store they are thrilled to find many of their favourite snacks, special drinks, familiar seasonings, easy cook meals or favourite sweets and the brands they trust from home.

Owners, Mr. & Mrs. Tang specialise in supplying regional foods from countries such as Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Korea. Mr. Tang often travels to these Asian regions to source local brands and add to the range of products already stocking the shelves of this popular Asian grocery store/supermarket.

There are regular in-store promotions with great specials and a Privilege Membership program for regular customers. To join the program sign up to in-store and receive a discount on all purchases you make at TANG.

The Tangs make sure their customers are well informed, with an active Facebook page to keep them up-to-date and a website with a Products Page that lists the most sought after as well as unusual products within categories. On the website there is a store map so customers can familiarise themselves with the store before they visit. The staff in-store are also very friendly and will help with any questions or requests for specific brands or foods. Like our Facebook page to stay in touch.

Many more Australians are becoming Vegetarian. Roy Morgan Research found that between 2012 and 2016, the number of Australian adults whose diet is all or almost all vegetarian rose to almost 2.1 million people (11.2% of the population) from 1.7 million ( 9.7%. of the population). Sydney leads with 14.4% of its residents adopting a vegetarian (or little meat) diet ahead of Hobart (13.3%) and Melbourne (12.7%). Many report that they have gone vegetarian in order to eat more healthily and maintain a low carb, low fat diet.

The Asian diet is certainly up there in terms of healthy eating and offering good, tasty vegetarian options. Tofu, or beancurd, is a popular ingredient in East Asian and Southeast Asian dishes and is often used in place of meat or seafood. Tofu is low in calories and high in protein and iron and, depending on the coagulants used in manufacturing (e.g. calcium chloride, calcium sulfate, magnesium sulfate), it can have a high calcium or magnesium content as well. Fresh vegetables are also a mainstay in most Asian dishes.

Healthy eating is aligned to healthy drinking habits as well. The traditional Asian approach to drinking with your meal is to limit fluid intake when eating so that digestive enzymes do not become diluted, as these are so important for proper digestion. Green tea or other hot teas are offered before a meal to support enzymatic activity and help aid digestion. It is suggested that a thirty minute period between drinking green tea and eating is the optimum.

You will find good quality green tea, tofu and all the ingredients you will need to make delicious Chinese, Malaysian, Japanese, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese or Korean dishes at TANG The Asian Food Emporium at 185 Russell Street, Melbourne CBD.

Asian diets and particularly the Korean diet are generally considered a healthy alternative to many traditional western diets, with the strong focus on vegetables, fresh foods and fish. In particular, the Korean diet is low fat, high fibre, keeping obesity at bay in Korea. Fortunately for Melburnians they can enjoy the same benefits, finding authentic Korean ingredients at TANG The Asian Food Emporium at 185 Russell Street. As interest grows in cooking Korean dishes at home Melburnians will find all they need at this popular Asian grocery store/supermarket.

Kimchi is an essential part of the Korean diet, being served at every meal. It is loaded with vitamins A, B, and C, but its biggest benefit may be in its “healthy bacteria” called lactobacilli, found in fermented foods like kimchi and yogurt. Digestion is greatly assisted by this good bacteria, having wide ranging health benefits, including the prevention of yeast infections, according to recent studies. Other recent studies have shown that weight is determined by the amount of good bacteria in the gut, the more bacteria the less chance of obesity.

Kimchi is a fermented cabbage (and sometimes radish) dish, made with a mix of salt, vinegar, garlic, chilli, onions and other spices. Kimchi can be served as a side dish or mixed in with rice or noodles, in soups, pancakes, scrambled eggs, wraps, stews, basically with anything! Maeve O’Meara, who introduced the Korean cuisine to Australians, says “Koreans say they just don’t feel right without their daily serve of Kimchi.” Australians who try it tend to agree. It has become a big hit in Australia, with more and more people trying it and loving its taste and health benefits. Ingredients to make Kimchi can be found at TANG, as can ready made versions.

Melbourne truly is a multi-cultural city and nowhere is this more obvious than in the explosion of diverse cuisines available at eateries in this fair city. With sizeable populations of people from many different countries you will now see grocery stores specialising in ingredients, snacks and beverages for specific cuisines. One of the most prolific of these are Asian groceries; apart from residents who have come from our closest neighbours and hanker for ingredients to make the tasty dishes they ate back home, all manner of Melburnians are embracing the delicious tastes of Asia.
Reflecting recent trends in migration to Victoria, the 2011 census shows that those born overseas from North Africa and the Middle East, South-East Asia, North-East Asia and in particular Southern and Central Asia, have increased the most in both absolute numbers and as a proportion of the total. The top ten countries of birth for Victoria in 2011 were: England, India, China, New Zealand, Italy, Vietnam, Greece, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Philippines.

It is therefore no wonder that Ingredients for Malaysian, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Filipino dishes are sought after. One of the longest established and best stockists of these foods, TANG The Asian Food Emporium, is situated for convenience in the CBD at 185 Russell Street. They also stock well-loved snacks, beverages and lollies sourced from South Asia as well as Chinese traditional medicines and Korean, Japanese and Thai groceries. Catering to busy students and office workers the store is open every day of the year from 10am to 11pm.

Elisa Tang serving a customer

Elisa Tang runs the retail side of the business and is well known to her customers, whilst her husband Sio is in charge of sourcing and supplying stock. Their website has a store map and products page, helping customers to find the right ingredients for that special dish.

Malaysian cuisine is a melting pot of flavours, influenced by the arrival of ships to the Malay peninsula from India, Indonesia, Europe, China, and the Middle East over the centuries. It’s unique flavours are drawn from Thai, Chinese, Indonesian and Indian cuisines. Known for its flavoursome spiciness it incorporates the fragrant combinations of cumin and coriander with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, cardamom, star anise and fenugreek.

Nasi Lemak is considered Malaysia’s national dish, a rice dish steamed with coconut milk and served with dried anchovies, dried shrimp, peanuts, hardboiled eggs, cucumber and sambal. It can be eaten for any meal, whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner! It can be served with a curry or rendang (a slow cooked dry curry dish spiced with ginger, turmeric, kaffir lime and chilli). Rice, noodles and Indian breads, such as roti, are staples.

The spicy noodle soup laksa is very popular in Australia. There are two types – curry laksa and asam laksa. The curry laksa is a coconut curry soup and asam laksa is a sour fish soup, both have noodles. The laksa comes from the Malaysian-Chinese cooking style of the Peranakans, the Chinese-Malays. Then there’s the satays (spicy peanut sauce dishes), mee goreng, stir fried noodles which takes any form, nasi goreng, stir-fried rice dish with chilis, garlic and kecap manis (sweet soy) served with chicken or shrimps and fried egg. Sambal is served with pretty much every dish, it’s a blend of chilies, shrimp paste belacan and Calamansi lime.

With the Moon Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival coming soon on 15th September it’s timely to select your moon cakes. Once again this year TANG The Asian Food Emporium at 185 Russell Street, Melbourne have a selection of great flavours and beautiful presentation boxes of mooncakes. Elisa Tang recommends –

This staple dish is delicious and easy to make. Pre-cooking the rice is an adaption of the traditional method, but makes it quicker and easier and it still tastes good! Authentic, good quality ingredients are available at TANG The Asian Emporium, including dried shiitake mushrooms, Thai glutinous rice and Chinese style pork sausages.

Method:
Pre-cook the glutinous rice (in a rice cooker or pot). Better to slightly undercook than overcook.
Soak shiitake mushrooms in warm water until softened, then dice.
Soak dried shrimp in warm water for 15 minutes.
Combine oyster sauce, soy sauces, sesame oil, chicken stock, and salt in a small bowl, set aside.
Heat the cooking oil in a wok over medium heat.
Add shrimp, stir-fry for 30 seconds.
Add onion, mushrooms and Chinese sausage, stir-fry for a minute, be careful not to burn the onion.
Add Shaoxing wine, stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Add pre-cooked glutinous rice to the wok, breaking it up with a spatula. Mix well, ensuring the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the wok.
Add the combined sauces and stir-fry until the rice is uniform in colour.
Season with white pepper to taste.
Add the spring onions.
Serve and enjoy!